At the April 14 meeting of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors, members reviewed operations performance statistics over the last year, covering topics ranging from total ridership to vehicle collision rates to promptness of Capital Metro vehicles. (Performance metrics are also accessible via a public dashboard found on the Capital Metro website.) Dottie Watkins, […]
Capital Metro
The city’s urban transportation system.
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro backs Smart Trips extension
On Wednesday, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors unanimously recommended approval of a third renewal of Smart Trips, an outreach program designed to educate Austinites about the city’s expanding transit options. A collaboration between Capital Metro and the city of Austin, Smart Trips was launched in 2016 as a mailing program to test the waters, […]
Posted inCity Council
Austin approves $23M to help prevent gentrification near new transit hubs
Austin City Council has put $23 million toward projects to stop people from getting priced out of their neighborhoods. It’s the first use of money from a larger anti-displacement fund set up to soften the gentrifying effects of planned rail and transportation projects. Real estate development, property values, taxes and rent will likely rise around […]
Posted inTransit
East Riverside to get bus priority lanes in April
Construction on interim transit bus lanes on East Riverside Drive will begin in late February and are expected to open in April, according to the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Austin Transportation Department. One of Austin’s major corridors, the nine bus routes on East Riverside carry roughly 20 percent of Capital Metro’s ridership. These […]
Posted inTransportation
A long time coming, Red Line Parkway could be completed by decade’s end
The City Council Mobility Committee heard an update on the Red Line Parkway last week, one of the city’s most anticipated urban trail projects. Austinites can look for significant progress on the trail this year with new segments under development and the Red Line Parkway Initiative beginning its Parkway Plan process. “It’s a pretty ambitious […]
Posted inTransit
An officer, a gentleman, Cap Metro postpones board elections
A variety of issues were discussed at the Jan. 25 Capital Metro board meeting, which ranged from fielding calls from disgruntled constituents to discourse surrounding the election of new officers to the board of directors and the somewhat contentious prospect of removing current ones. Ultimately, the board postponed the election of 2021 officers for another […]
Posted inTransportation
DAA study seeks community feedback for proposed downtown transit routes
The Downtown Austin Alliance is looking for resident and visitor feedback on two proposed transit routes it hopes will make traveling between different parts of downtown faster and more convenient. The proposed downtown circulator routes, which would serve downtown, South Congress and some of East Austin, are open to public feedback on the DAA’s online survey […]
Posted inAustin
City leaders and Cap Metro get to work crafting Project Connect anti-displacement plan
In November, Austin voters approved a tax increase to support Project Connect and the expansion of public transportation throughout the city. Now, local leaders need to figure out precisely where and how to spend some of that money, including $300 million allocated for anti-displacement strategies. On Nov. 11, City Council and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation […]
Posted inTransit
Application deadline extended for Austin Transit Partnership board
Application deadlines have been extended to 5 p.m. on Dec. 2 for community members interested in serving on the five-member board of the Austin Transit Partnership, the independent organization that will oversee execution of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Project Connect. The deadline was previously Nov. 27. Applications will be reviewed by the Capital Metro-City Council […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro seeks to make transit more accessible for low-income riders
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is launching two new initiatives that aim to expand equity and access to its app. One will test capping fares for low-income users, while the other will allow those customers and others to pay for rides on the app even if they don’t have access to credit or debit cards. Capping […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
What’s Project Connect’s first stop after Austin voters handily pass Prop A?
Before any shiny new train and bus lines hit the streets of Austin, the less glamorous work of planning and administration must begin. City Council and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors will meet next month to discuss appointments to a new local government corporation that will oversee the transit expansion, known as […]
Posted inTransit
Cap Metro cross-charges electric buses
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been testing out the electric bus market this year with vehicles and charging systems from two different manufacturers. While the six Proterra and six New Flyer buses originally came with manufacturer-specific charging systems, Capital Metro has adapted the systems so that each charger is now able to connect with […]